9961. From the loins even unto the thighs they shall be. That this signifies the extension of the exterior things of conjugial love, which are signified by “the linen breeches,” is evident from the signification of “the loins,” and “the thighs,” as being the things that belong to conjugial love; “the loins,” those which belong to its interiors; and “the thighs,” those which belong to its exteriors; thus its extension from interiors to exteriors. That “the loins” signify the interior things of this love, is because they are above; and that “the thighs” signify its exterior things, is because they are below; for the things with man which are above signify interior things, and those which are below signify exterior things. From this it is that in the Word interior things are meant by higher, and exterior by lower things (see n. 3084, 4599, 5146, 8325). With man the higher things correspond to celestial and spiritual things, which are interior; and the lower things correspond to natural things, which are exterior.

It is from this that “the feet” signify natural things (n. 2162, 3147, 3986, 4382, 4938-4952). And as by the thighs is meant the lower part of the loins, which looks toward the feet, therefore the exterior or lower things of conjugial love are signified by the thighs (n. 4277, 4280); but that in general “the loins” signify conjugial love, see n. 3021, 3294, 4575, 5050-5062. That “the loins” have this signification is from correspondence. (Concerning the correspondence of all things of man with heaven, see what has been abundantly shown in the places already cited, n. 9276, 9280.)

[2] It is said “the extension of conjugial love from interior things to exterior;” for in the heavens there is an extension of all things of love and of all things of faith, or what is the same, of all things of good and of all things of truth, for there all are conjoined according to affinities in respect to the truths of faith and the goods of love. There is such an extension in each heaven. This extension reaches also into the heavens which are beneath, because all the heavens make a one; nay, they extend even to man, so that he likewise may make a one with the heavens. This extension is what is meant by “the extension from higher or interior to lower or exterior things.” Higher or interior things are called celestial and spiritual, while lower or exterior things are called natural or worldly.

[3] As to what specifically concerns conjugial love, the extension of which is here described, this love is the fundamental of all loves; for it descends from the marriage of good and truth in the heavens; and as the marriage of good and truth is in the heavens, and makes the heavens, therefore love truly conjugial is heaven itself with man. But the marriage of good and truth in the heavens descends from the conjunction of the Lord with the heavens; for that which proceeds from the Lord and flows into the heavens is the good of love; and that which is received there by the angels is the truth thence derived, thus is the truth which is from good, or in which is good. For this reason the Lord is called in the Word the “Bridegroom” and “Husband;” and heaven with the church is called the “bride” and “wife.”

[4] From all this it can be seen how holy marriages are in heaven, and how profane adulteries are there. For in themselves marriages are so holy that there is nothing more holy, and this also for the reason that they are the seminaries of the human race, and the human race is the seminary of the heavens, for thither come the men who in the world have lived an angelic life. And on the other hand adulteries are so profane that there is nothing more profane, because they are destructive of heaven and the church with man. (That this is so, see what has been said and shown above concerning marriages and adulteries, n. 2727-2759)

[5] From all this it can be seen further why by “nakedness” are signified the filthy and infernal things spoken of in the preceding paragraph; and why it was so strictly enjoined that Aaron and his sons, while ministering, should be clothed with breeches, and that otherwise they would die; for it is said, “Thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover the flesh of their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall be; and they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they go into the Tent of meeting, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in what is holy; lest they bear iniquity, and die; it is a statute of an age to him and to his seed after him.”

[6] Therefore be it known that by conjugial love is meant all celestial and spiritual love, for the reason, as shown above, that love truly conjugial is the fundamental of all loves. Therefore those who are in this love are also in all other loves of heaven and of the church, for as before said, it descends from the marriage of good and truth in the heavens, which marriage makes heaven. From this also it is that in the Word heaven is compared to a “marriage,” and is likewise called a “marriage.” From this also it is evident why a warning was given that the nakednesses of Aaron and of his sons should not appear while they were ministering; for their “nakednesses” signified all loves contrary to heavenly loves, which in general, when they are ends, are called the loves of self and of the world, and are filthy and infernal loves. That this is so the man of the present day is not aware, for the reason that he is in these loves, and perceives no other delight than that which is from them. Consequently when spiritual love and celestial love are mentioned, he is perplexed, and does not know what they are, consequently what heaven is; and perhaps he will be amazed when he hears and thinks that in spiritual and celestial love, separate from the love of self and of the world, there is eternal happiness which is unutterable.

3021. Put I pray thy hand under my thigh. That this signifies pledging it according to its power to the good of conjugial love, is evident from the signification of “hand,” as being power (see n. 878); and from the signification of “thigh,” as being the good of conjugial love, concerning which in what follows. That it is pledging to the extent of its power, is evident from the fact that they who were pledged to anything that related to conjugial love, by an ancient rite placed the hand under the thigh of him to whom they were being pledged, and in this manner they were put under oath by him; and this for the reason that the “thigh” signified conjugial love, and the “hand” power, or so far as was possible; for all the parts of the human body correspond to spiritual and celestial things in the Grand Man which is heaven, as was shown above (n. 2996, 2998); and as will be shown more fully, of the Lord’s Divine mercy hereafter. The thighs themselves together with the loins, correspond to conjugial love.

These things were well known to the men of the most ancient times; and therefore they had a number of rites based on this correspondence, of which one was that they placed the hands under the thigh when they were pledged to any good of conjugial love. The knowledge of such things, which was in highest esteem among the ancients, and was one of the chief things of their knowledge and intelligence, is at this day wholly lost; so completely that it is not even known that there is any correspondence; and some may therefore wonder that such things are signified by the rite here described. The rite is mentioned in the present case because the betrothing of Isaac to some one of the family of Abraham is treated of, and the discharge of the duty was intrusted to the elder servant.

[2] That as before said the “thigh” from correspondence signifies conjugial love, may also be seen from other passages in the Word; as from the process enjoined when a woman was accused by her husband of adultery.

In Moses:

The priest shall cause the woman to swear with the oath of cursing; and the priest shall say unto the woman, Jehovah make thee a curse and an oath in the midst of thy people, when Jehovah doth make thy thigh to fall away, and thy belly to swell. And when he hath given her the water to drink, then it shall come to pass, if she be defiled, and hath trespassed a trespass against her husband, that the waters that are accursed shall enter into her and become bitterness, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away, and the woman shall be a curse among her people (Numbers 5:21, 27).

That the “thigh should fall away,” signified evil relating to conjugial love, that is, it signified adultery. The other particulars mentioned in the same process signify each of them some special thing belonging to the subject, so that there is not the least thing that does not involve something, however surprising this may seem to a man who reads the Word without any idea of its sanctity. Because of the signification of the “thigh” as being the good of conjugial love, mention is sometimes made of “coming forth from the thigh”—as is said of Jacob:

Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come forth from thy thighs (Genesis 35:11).

And in another place:

Every soul that came with Jacob into Egypt, that came forth from his thigh (Genesis 46:26; Exodus 1:5).

And of Gideon:

Gideon had seventy sons that came forth from his thigh (Judges 8:30).

[3] And as the “thighs” and the “loins” signify the things belonging to conjugial love, they also signify the things of love and charity, for the reason that conjugial love is the fundamental love of all loves (see n. 686, 2733, 2737-2739); for all loves are from the same origin, that is, from the heavenly marriage, which is that of good and truth (see n. 2727-2759). That the “thigh” signifies the good of celestial love and the good of spiritual love, is evident from the following passages.

In John:

He that sat on the white horse had upon His vesture and upon His thigh a name written: King of kings, and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16).

That He who sat on the white horse is the Word, thus the Lord who is the Word, may be seen above (n. 2760-2762); also that “vesture” is the Divine truth (n. 2576); therefore He is called “King of kings” (n. 3009). Hence it is plain what the “thigh” is, namely, the Divine good which is of His love; from which He is also called “Lord of lords” (n. 3004-3011). And because this is the Lord’s quality, it is said that He “had thereon a name written;” for “name” signifies quality (n. 1896, 2009, 2724, 3006).

[4] In David:

Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O Mighty One, in Thy glory and honor (Psalms 45:3);

speaking of the Lord; where “sword” denotes truth combating (n. 2799); and “thigh” the good of love; to “gird the sword upon the thigh” signifies that the truth from which He would fight would be from the good of love.

In Isaiah:

Righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and truth the girdle of His thighs (Isaiah 11:5);

speaking here too of the Lord; and because “righteousness” is predicated of the good of love (n. 2235), it is called the girdle of the loins;” and because truth is from good, it is called the “girdle of the thighs;” thus “loins” are predicated of the love of good, and “thighs” of the love of truth.

[5] In the same:

None shall be weary nor stumble in Him, He shall not slumber nor sleep, neither is the girdle of His thighs loosed, nor the latchet of His shoes broken off (Isaiah 5:27).

This again is said of the Lord, and the “girdle of His thighs” denotes the love of truth, as before.

In Jeremiah:

Jehovah said unto Jeremiah that he should buy a linen girdle and put it on his loins, but should not pass it through water; and that he should go to the Euphrates and hide it in a hole of the rock; and having done this, when he went and took it from the place, it was marred (Jeremiah 13:1-6).

The “linen girdle” denotes truth, and “putting it on the loins” was a representative that truth was from good. Everyone can see that these are representatives, and their signification cannot be known except from correspondences, concerning which of the Lord’s Divine mercy something will be said at the end of certain chapters.

[6] So too with the signification of the things seen by Ezekiel, by Daniel, and by Nebuchadnezzar. As in Ezekiel:

Above the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the appearance of a burning coal, as the appearance of fire within it round about; from the appearance of his loins and upward, and from the appearance of his loins and downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness round about Him; as the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about, so was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Jehovah (Ezekiel 1:26-28).

That this was representative of the Lord and of His kingdom is evident; and that the appearance of the loins upward and the appearance of the loins downward has reference to His love, is evident from the signification of “fire,” as being love (n. 934); and from the signification of “brightness” and a “rainbow” as being the derivative wisdom and intelligence (n. 1042, 1043, 1053).

[7] Concerning Daniel it is said:

A man appeared to him clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with pure gold of Uphaz; his body also was like the tharshish stone, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and feet like the shining of burnished brass (Daniel 10:5-6).

What is signified by these particulars—by “loins,” “body,” “face,” “eyes,” “arms,” and “feet”—can appear to no one except from representations and their correspondences. From these it is evident that the Lord’s celestial kingdom is thus represented, in which the “loins” are Divine love; and the “gold of Uphaz” with which these were girded, is the good of wisdom which is from love (n. 113, 1551, 1552).

[8] Concerning what was seen by Nebuchadnezzar we read in Daniel:

The head of the statue was good gold; its breast and its arms were silver; its belly and thighs were brass; the feet were part iron and part clay (Daniel 2:32-33).

By that statue were represented the successive states of the church; by the “head which was gold,” the first state, which was celestial, because it was a state of love to the Lord; by the “breast and arms which were silver,” the second state, which was spiritual, as it was a state of charity toward the neighbor; by the “belly and thighs which were brass,” the third state, which was a state of natural good (for this is “brass,” n. 425, 1551). Natural good is of love or charity toward the neighbor in a degree below spiritual good. By the “feet which were iron and clay” is meant the fourth state, which was one of natural truth (which is “iron,” n. 425, 426); and also of no coherence with good (which is “clay”). From all these things it may be seen what is signified by the “thighs” and the “loins,” namely, in the chief place conjugial love, and from this all genuine love, as is evident from the passages quoted, and likewise from others (Genesis 32:25, 32; Isaiah 20:2-4; Nahum 2:1; Psalms 69:23; Exodus 12:11; Luke 12:35-36). In the opposite sense also are signified the opposite loves, which are the loves of self and of the world (see 1 Kings 2:5; Isaiah 32:10-11; Jeremiah 30:6; 48:37; Ezekiel 29:7; Amos 8:10).